Who does it — nobody: impersonal constructions
Some sentences have no actor at all, and Georgian assembles them differently from English. Three kinds cover almost everything you will meet. For example: “დღეს წვიმს და ცივა” — Today it is raining and it is cold. A rule from the Georgian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Some sentences have no actor at all, and Georgian assembles them differently from English. Three kinds cover almost everything you will meet.
First: weather and states. The verb stands alone, with no subject at all: წვიმს (tsvims) — it is raining, თოვს (tovs) — it is snowing, ცხელა (tskhela) — it is hot, ცივა (tsiva) — it is cold, ბნელა (bnela) — it is dark. No dummy 'it' needs attaching, and the word 'weather' is not in the sentence either.
Second, the most Georgian one: the person affected stands not as the subject. You have seen this already: მჭირდება (mchirdeba) — I need, მომწონს (momtsons) — I like, მტკივა (mtkiva) — it hurts (me), მეშინია (meshinia) — I am afraid, მინდა (minda) — I want. The person here is the recipient inside the verb: მ- — to me, გ- — to you, ს-/უ- — to him, her. That is why 'I need' and 'you need' differ by one letter: მჭირდება / გჭირდება (gchirdeba).
Third: someone unknown did it. The verb goes into the third person plural, and there is no subject: 'ჩანთა მომპარეს (chanta mompares)' — my bag was stolen, 'ამბობენ (amboben), რომ (rom)...' — they say that..., 'აქ არ ეწევიან' — no smoking here. English does the same ('it was stolen', 'they say'), so all that is needed is not to insert the word 'they' — the pronoun here is superfluous.
Next to it stands the passive on -ება, which sounds impersonal: 'კარი იღება (kari igheba)' — the door opens, 'ლეპტოპი არ ირთვება (leptopi ar irtveba)' — the laptop won't switch on, 'ფოტოს გადაღება აკრძალულია (potos gadagheba akrdzalulia)' — photography is prohibited. The forms on '-ულია / -ილია' ('დაკეტილია (daketilia)' — closed, 'გაშლილია (gashlilia)' — laid out) are of the same family: they describe a state, not the one who made it.
Table
| Pattern | How it is built | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| weather | a verb with no subject | თოვს | it is snowing |
| state | adjective + -ა | ცხელა | it is hot |
| I need | recipient inside the verb | მჭირდება / გჭირდება | I need / you need |
| I like | recipient inside the verb | მომწონს / მოგწონს | I like it / you like it |
| someone did it | 3rd person plural | მომპარეს | my bag was stolen |
| they say | 3rd person plural | ამბობენ | they say |
| it can be done | passive on -ება | არ ირთვება | it won't switch on |
| it is done | participle + -ია | დაკეტილია | it is closed |
By example
- დღეს წვიმს და ცივაdghes tsvims da tsivaToday it is raining and it is cold
- ავტობუსში ჩანთა მომპარესavtobusshi chanta momparesMy bag was stolen on the bus
- მუზეუმში ფოტოს გადაღება აკრძალულიაmuzeumshi potos gadagheba akrdzaluliaPhotography is prohibited in the museum
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Who does it — nobody: how does it work in Georgian?
Some sentences have no actor at all, and Georgian assembles them differently from English. Three kinds cover almost everything you will meet.
What does it look like in an example sentence Georgian?
“დღეს წვიმს და ცივა” (dghes tsvims da tsiva) — Today it is raining and it is cold. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.